I realize people turn to mindless entertainment as escapism in tough economic times, but come on!

Kevin James is still the king of the box office. The actor’s “Paul Blart: Mall Cop” finished at No. 1 for the second consecutive weekend, with a $21.5 million gross, according to Sunday’s estimates.

That tally brought the comedy’s 10-day sum to $64.8 million — and it helped Paul Blart edge out the weekend’s presumptive favorite, “Underworld: Rise of the Lycans,” which banked $20.7 million at No. 2.

It’s not a new phenomenon, but it still infuriates me that trash like Paul Blart can receive a 27 percent approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes yet in 10 days outgross the combined hauls of three Best Picture nominees — Milk, Frost/Nixon and The Reader — which have all been in theaters for nearly two months.